Harry Allen, winner of the Longines Rising Star Award, pictured with FEI President Ingmar de Vos and Longines' Vice President and Head of International Marketing Juan-Carlos Capelli at the FEI Awards ceremony in Montevideo, Uruguay. Photo (c) FEI/Richard Juilliard.

Ireland's Harry Allen, double gold medallist at the FEI European Pony Championships in Kaposvar (HUN) last August, was recognised for his numerous outstanding performances throughout the year winning the Longines Rising Star Award at last night's FEI Award Gala 2017.

Presented by the FEI’s top partner Longines, the award celebrates youth, talent, determination and the stars of the tomorrow. The talented Irish athlete (16) was also presented with a Longines Conquest Classic Chronograph watch by Longines' Vice President and Head of International Marketing Juan-Carlos Capelli.

Other winners were Isabelle Werth, who recieved the 'Best Athlete Award', Alan Davis who recieved the 'FEI Best Groom Award', Manoj Jalan who recieved the 'FEI Solidarity Award' and Emma Both who was honored with the 'Against All Odds Award'.

“We received over 100,000 votes and were overwhelmed with the response to this year’s Awards,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “We have incredible athletes, with remarkable stories, and this year we had the highest number of nominations from more countries than ever before, which clearly shows the universality of our sport.

“The public involvement in the voting process was phenomenal and was an essential part of the judging process for these prestigious awards. It is outstanding to see the tremendous support for our athletes, who deserve the recognition, not just from within our community but of the wider sports industry and fans globally.”

Longines' Vice President and Head of International Marketing Juan-Carlos Capelli said: “It is my great pleasure to be here in Montevideo and to be a part of the FEI Awards Ceremony to reward remarkable people for their outstanding dedication to equestrian sports. As we have seen here tonight, all winners have shown what hard work and passion are all about.

On behalf of Longines, I would like to address my warmest congratulations to all winners of the 2017 FEI Awards, and in particular our Longines Rising Star, the 16-year-old talented jumping rider, Harry Allen. It’s very exciting to see all these incredible people pursue their dreams and continue to be great ambassadors for their sport.”